On a night in early November, as the clocks turned past midnight on the American east coast, the United States' long contest over who governs itself tilted sharply toward the Democrats. They took control of the Senate, won seats that had been red for decades, and were projected by CBS News, the BBC's partner, to gain the House as well. Voters in places once thought secure, from South Carolina to Kansas, have reminded the country that political certainty is a fragile thing, and that the economy and the health of democracy weighed on minds more than any single campaign promise.
Democrats Take Senate and Set Sights on House in Midterms Marked by Upsets in Red States
Kansas had not returned a Democratic senator since 1932.
Mark
Start with the headline fact. Democrats have the Senate. Why is that the part that stands out?
Mimi
Because of where it happened. South Carolina last elected a Democratic senator in 1998, and Kansas hasn't since 1932. Those aren't places pollsters were watching for a Democratic win.
Mark
And Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Maine too.
Mimi
Yes, all reported as turned blue by CBS News. Alaska is still a toss-up, and Mississippi is described as on a knife edge.
Luke
Worth being clear on sourcing there. The Senate calls and the House projection come from CBS News, the BBC's partner. The House isn't a finished count; it's a projection.
Mark
What about Florida? That seems to be a different kind of story.
Mimi
It is. Republicans redrew districts so 14 and 25 would lean Trump rather than Harris. Democrats held both anyway, and also won Florida 22, which had been redrawn in the Republican favour.
Luke
Holding those seats is a fact. Calling it a verdict on redistricting is a step further. The reporting doesn't show why those voters chose as they did.
Mark
The Hispanic voter numbers seem to be the explanation people will reach for.
Mimi
The poll has Hispanic voters backing Angie Nixon 55% to 44% over Angie Moody, against an estimated 55% for Trump in 2024.
Luke
Keep in mind that's one poll, and the 2024 figure is an estimate. It's suggestive, not settled. The same goes for the finding that over two-thirds think Trump's policies worsened the economy. That's what respondents said, not a measurement of the economy.
Mimi
And the House margin is the open question. The BBC says Democrats are aiming for a much bigger win than a bare majority, but we don't yet know how big it is.
El Pulso
- Democrats seized the Senate in a midterm that few had predicted would break so decisively.
- A seat in South Carolina, deep red since 1998, and a Kansas seat unclaimed by Democrats since 1932 suddenly flipped.
- Republican redistricting in Florida, meant to lock in gains, backfired as Democrats held districts 14, 25 and 22.
- Hispanic voters in Florida swung back toward Democrats, reversing their 2024 lean toward Trump.
- With Alaska and Mississippi still unsettled, the final scale of the Democratic victory remains open and is still being counted.
On a night in early November, as the clocks turned past midnight on the American east coast, the United States' long contest over who governs itself tilted sharply toward the Democrats. They took control of the Senate, won seats that had been red for decades, and were projected by CBS News, the BBC's partner, to gain the House as well. Voters in places once thought secure, from South Carolina to Kansas, have reminded the country that political certainty is a fragile thing, and that the economy and the health of democracy weighed on minds more than any single campaign promise.
Just after 03:00 GMT on Wednesday, CBS News, the BBC's US partner, projected that Democrats would win the House of Representatives. By then the party had already taken the Senate, and the night was being described as extraordinary for them.
The Senate results carried the biggest surprises. North Carolina had been expected to flip, but South Carolina, a deep red seat that had last sent a Democrat to the Senate in 1998, was a shock, and Kansas, which had not elected a Democratic senator since 1932, also fell to the party. Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Maine have also turned blue, while Alaska remains a toss-up and Mississippi is on a knife edge.
In Florida, Republicans had tried to redraw district lines in their favour, turning districts 14 and 25 from Harris majorities to Trump majorities. Democrats held both, along with Florida 22, dealing a blow to the redistricting effort. Exit polling suggests Hispanic voters, who had leaned toward Trump in 2024, backed the Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon by 55% to 44%.
Across the country, voters ranked the economy first and the state of democracy second, and more than two-thirds said Trump's policies had made economic conditions worse. What remains now is the scale of the result, as the Alaska and Mississippi seats are settled and the House count is completed.
Just after 03:00 GMT on Wednesday, which was 22:00 on Tuesday on the US east coast, CBS News, the BBC's US partner, projected that Democrats would win the House of Representatives. By then the party had already taken the Senate. The BBC described the night as extraordinary for Democrats, and the results in the upper chamber went beyond what the party would have expected.
The Senate map is where the surprises sit. North Carolina had been seen as a likely Democratic pick-up. South Carolina was described as a huge shock: polls before the election had it leaning Republican, and it had been a deep red seat for years, last sending a Democrat to the Senate in 1998. Kansas had not returned a Democratic senator since 1932.
Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Maine have also turned blue, according to CBS News. One seat, in Alaska, is still a toss-up. Mississippi is now on a knife edge, per CBS, a sign of how far the night moved from expectations.
In the House, Democrats are making the gains they need to take control, but the BBC reports they have their sights set on a much bigger victory than a bare majority. Some of the clearest signals came from Florida, where Republicans had tried to redraw boundaries in their favour. Florida 14 and Florida 25, both held by Democrats, stayed in Democratic hands. The redistricting had changed both districts from having a majority of voters who backed Kamala Harris in 2024 to having a majority who backed Donald Trump. Holding them is a blow to the Republican redistricting effort.
Florida 22, which was also redrawn to favour Republicans, was won by Democrats as well.
Hispanic voters look to have been one of the key groups in Florida. A large poll of voters suggests they backed the Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon over the Republican, Angie Moody, by 55% to 44%. That is a reversal from 2024, when an estimated 55% of Hispanic voters backed Trump.
The same poll asked what mattered most to voters. Across the country, the economy ranked first, followed by the state of democracy. When asked whether Trump's policies had affected economic conditions, more than two-thirds said they had made things worse.
What to watch now is the scale: the Alaska seat and Mississippi remain to be settled in the Senate, and the House result, projected but not yet fully counted, will show how large a majority Democrats actually end up with.
Citas Notables
The results in the Senate are beyond what the Democrats would have expected.— BBC News
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